IT is the dawn of a new Suncorp Super Netball season once again.

There is plenty of hope and optimism in the air, but as with any new season there is also very little certainty about how things will unfold.

Will the West Coast Fever go back-to-back after keeping essentially the same side as last year? Will the Vixens buck the trend and make the Grand Final again and go one better? Will all the changes that the Lightning have made help them rise up the ladder? Will the addition of Eleanor Cardwell help the Thunderbirds rocket up the ladder?

All these questions and more are set to be answered over the next four months.

As the world gears up towards the World Cup in South Africa later this year, this season is even more important as players fight for the opportunity to be on the plane to the World Cup later this year.

There are also plenty of queries surrounding teams affected by key players missing round one due to injury. Jo Harten at the Giants and Jo Weston and Rahni Samason at the Vixens are just some of the players that will not be on court this weekend, so time will tell how badly their respective sides are affected by their absences.

Then there is the question of the 10th member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning squad. The clubs said that they would announce Tara Hinchliffe’s replacement before their round one clash, but as of the time of writing they are yet to do so, so they are running out of time to have a full squad of 10 before their clash against the Giants.

Suncorp Super Netball Round 1 Fixture (All times local)

Collingwood Magpies vs NSW Swifts – Saturday at 5pm – John Cain Arena
West Coast Fever vs Melbourne Vixens – Saturday at 4pm – RAC Arena
Sunshine Coast Lightning vs GIANTS Netball – Sunday at 1pm – UniSC Arena
Queensland Firebirds vs Adelaide Thunderbirds – Sunday at 3pm – Nissan Arena